Addressing methamphetamine use in Canada

The Government of Canada is deeply concerned about the increase in use of methamphetamine and the risks it poses to the health and safety of communities and Canadians. To improve access to and the quality of care for people struggling with methamphetamine use, the federal government is providing $6,665,392 for 13 projects across Canada.

June 2021

The Government of Canada is deeply concerned about the increase in use of methamphetamine and the risks it poses to the health and safety of communities and Canadians. To improve access to and the quality of care for people struggling with methamphetamine use, the federal government is providing $6,665,392 for 13 projects across Canada.

These new initiatives will help bridge gaps in a number of areas by developing and implementing treatment and harm reduction services; generating much-needed information on methamphetamine use; and developing and disseminating resources for communities, including those that are specific to Indigenous communities, women and youth.

Addressing methamphetamine use in Canada

Thirteen of the projects are receiving funding through the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).

• "Expanding Capacity in Alberta to Deliver Contingency Patient Management in Outpatient Addiction Treatment," University of Calgary (Alberta Health Services) - Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta


• $480,225 for 40 months (2020-2024) is being provided to evaluate the effectiveness of rewards for positive behaviour change as a new treatment tool for people who use methamphetamine and are seeking treatment. The project will also examine how this tool could be incorporated in Alberta Health Services' addiction treatment programs in Edmonton and Calgary.


• "In Good Health," Sandy Beach Kimamow Atoskanow Foundation (KAF) -Onoway, Alberta


• $300,000 for 24 months (2021-2023) is being provided to develop and deliver services and programs that address methamphetamine and polysubstance use among Indigenous peoples from under-served First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in the north zone of Alberta, including Edmonton. The project includes workshops, presentations and culturally safe programs for Indigenous peoples who have previously use or are currently using methamphetamine and/or opioids. It also features training opportunities for service providers, Indigenous practitioners and healthcare professionals.


• "Employing a co-facilitated, peer-involved Matrix Model for a criminal justice setting treatment program at Prince George Regional Correction Centre for clients with problematic methamphetamine use," Provincial Health Services Authority - Prince George, British Columbia


• $547,499 for 50 months (2020-2024) is being provided to implement a treatment program at the Prince George Regional Correction Centre for people who experience problematic use of crystal methamphetamine. Additionally, the project uses a peer-led program in transitional housing to help people reintegrate and to continue their treatment.


• "Developing Sex, Gender and Trauma Informed Treatment Interventions for Methamphetamine Use," Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Vancouver, British Columbia


• $358,419 for 24 months (2021-2023) is being provided to develop and disseminate research and information to improve methamphetamine treatment outcomes for women and gender diverse people. Additionally, this initiative will develop treatments and harm reduction practices with partners that are inclusive of all people who use methamphetamine, including Indigenous communities.


• "Meeting the Moment: Integrated Street Health, Addictions Medicine and Primary Care,"Nine Circles Community Health Centre, Inc. - Winnipeg, Manitoba


• $853,792 for 36 months (2020-2023) is being provided to improve access to and quality of care within primary care and social services, such as access to housing and health services, for people who use methamphetamine and other drugs. Over three years, the project aims to reach approximately 1,200 people who use drugs in Winnipeg's downtown and Point Douglas neighborhoods.


• "Methamphetamine Use in Manitoba: Using whole-population data to seek out solutions and reduce methamphetamine harms," University of Manitoba - Winnipeg, Manitoba


• $599,857 for 48 months (2020-2024) is being provided to use provincial health-related data to increase knowledge of methamphetamine use in the province. The project will also develop strategies to support people who use methamphetamine and reduce related harms, especially among Indigenous communities.


• "#SmokeDontPoke: A meth pipe pilot project by people who use drugs in Pine Falls and Selkirk," Manitoba Harm Reduction Network - Pine Falls and Selkirk, Manitoba


• $75,000 for 36 months (2020-2023) is being provided for a project to reduce harms for people who use methamphetamine by improving access to harm reduction equipment (e.g., clean pipes) as well as raise awareness of harm reduction practices in the community. The project will focus on two under-served communities in rural Manitoba.


• "An Integrated Trauma-Informed Approach to Methamphetamine Withdrawal Treatment and Support," Klinic Inc. - Winnipeg, Manitoba


• $370,034 for 24 months (2021-2023) is being provided to expand the existing 30-day mobile treatment and withdrawal service to include additional wrap-around care during and following the thirty-day detoxification program. The project will focus on vulnerable populations who have been identified as under-served by current programs, including Indigenous People, youth, and men who require trauma-informed continued care.


• "RaY Substance Use Harm Reduction Education Program," Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY) Incorporated - Winnipeg, Manitoba


• $668,646 for 24 months (2021-2023) is being provided to develop and launch an interactive and self-guided online mental health, addictions and harm reduction education portal focused on crystal methamphetamine use. The project will work with approximately 400 mostly Indigenous youth experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg and in rural Manitoba communities. As part of the initiative, RaY will also develop frontline education and training for schools, group homes, the justice system and other community-based organizations on topics learned from working with youth experiencing homelessness.


• "Community Methamphetamine Withdrawal Support Program," Independent First Nations Alliance - Sioux Lookout, Ontario


• $794,880 for 50 months (2020-2024) is being provided to train and support community-based healthcare providers on methamphetamine-induced psychosis assessments, medication-assisted withdrawal and detoxification, and traditional and land-based healing support for community members.


• "Methamphetamines in First Nations Communities," Thunderbird Partnership Foundation - Bothwell, Ontario


• $636,813 for 50 months (2020-2024) is being provided to disseminate culturally relevant and appropriate resources, such as the use and integration of healing circles and Elders, to support First Nations communities in addressing the harms of methamphetamine use. The resources will also include community toolkits on the impacts of stimulants, including methamphetamine, on First Nations people.


• "Integrating Harm Reduction Strategies into Hospital Settings for People Who Use Methamphetamine," London Health Sciences Centre (Lawson Health Research Inst.) - London, Ontario


• $567,830 for 48 months (2020-2024) is being provided to conduct focus groups to increase knowledge and understanding of the stigma people who use methamphetamine may face in healthcare settings. The initiative will also build a system to help identify people in hospitals and clinics who use methamphetamine as well as implement and evaluate harm reduction strategies in the hospital setting.

One of the projects is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada's Supporting Pathways to Care for People Who Use Drugs program.

• "Methamphetamine Client Transitions to Primary Care," Sherwood Park Primary Care Network on behalf of the Edmonton Zone Primary Care Networks - Edmonton, Alberta


• $412,397 for 24 months (2020-2022) is being provided for a project that will enhance the quality and continuity of care for people who use methamphetamine. The project will develop and implement new procedures to help people who use methamphetamine transition smoothly from detoxification or recovery centres to primary care and from emergency departments to primary care.